OAKLAND, Calif. - Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella is having a tough time figuring out which of six pitchers should be in his five-man rotation.
So the natural solution? Go to a six-man rotation and let someone weed himself out and into the bullpen.
For now, Scott Kazmir, Dewon Brazelton, Rob Bell and Jorge Sosa will stay in the rotation. So will Mark Hendrickson, in the midst of the worst stretch in his brief career, and Doug Waechter, who is due to come off the disabled list next weekend.
"We'll have six starters, and the guy who is pitching the worst will go the bullpen," Piniella said. "We'll decide after the doubleheader (on Labor Day) who stays in. I would like to keep my young pitchers pitching, but whoever can help us win baseball games will stay in the rotation."
Despite losing five consecutive games, including a rocky outing Friday when he blew a 5-1 lead, Hendrickson is getting another chance.
"At one time this summer I thought he was really making some good strides," Piniella said. "I don't know what's happened, but he is certainly better than he has pitched his last five or six starts."
Piniella doesn't have a reason for Hendrickson's struggles, but knows the solution: a victory.
"How do you turn a pitcher around?" Piniella said. "You get a win under his belt. That's what we tried to do (Friday), but it didn't work out. But we would like to get him straightened out."
Piniella's decision about the rotation means John Halama will work exclusively out of the bullpen for now.
WHO'S ON THIRD?: Piniella emphasizes that nothing is set in stone, but it's looking more and more as if he sees B.J. Upton, all along a shortstop, as a third baseman in the big leagues.
"I'm starting to believe our young kid belongs at third," Piniella said. "That's not a for-sure thing, but a look-forward thing. Nothing more."
Upton has been taking grounders at third for the past week and could make his debut there during the upcoming homestand. Upton said that is fine with him.
"He feels awfully comfortable there," Piniella said. "He has good hands and a good, fine arm. That doesn't mean he can't play shortstop. But he likes it (at third) and we like what we see."
As much as anything, the Rays appear set at short with Julio Lugo, who is 29 and can play for several more seasons.
"We happen to like our shortstop," Piniella said. "It makes things a whole lot easier when you like your players at the positions they are in."
WHAT'S ON SECOND?: Rookie Jorge Cantu started at second base for the second straight game, and look for him to get plenty of starts at second down the stretch.
"I like the kid," Piniella said. "We're taking a real good look at him against all types of pitching. I think he can be our everyday second baseman next year. That's my feeling right now. And the more we look at him, the better. But to me, that's where he belongs."
A DAISY IN THE MUD: Geoff Blum has had a rough season, playing nowhere near the level the Rays anticipated when they brought him over from Houston in the offseason.
After batting .262 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs in 123 games last season, Blum went into Saturday batting .227 with six homers and 24 RBIs. His average is 35 points lower than his career average.
But games such as Friday convince the Rays that he still can contribute. The switch-hitting Blum hit a three-run homer from the right side in the second inning, then came within a couple of feet of hitting a homer from the left side in the third. He ended up going 3-for-5 and made two dazzling defensive plays at third base.
"He had a heck of a ballgame," Piniella said. "If we put him in the outfield, he can play there, too. He is very versatile and he's really a real nice defensive player. And now he's starting to swing the bat, which is what we've been waiting for."
